Lieutenant Commander Bill Dwyer wrote

From 14-17 February 2011, CDR Pete Rodnite, U.S. Navy JAGC, of Naval Forces Africa (NAVAF) Legal Staff, LCDR Bill Dwyer, U.S. Coast Guard from the U.S. Africa Command Office of Legal Counsel and LCDR Gregg Casad from the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters Office of Fisheries Enforcement, traveled to Lagos, Nigeria to conduct a seminar on Maritime Law for a selected group of Nigeria officials. Participants included representatives from the maritime industry in Nigeria, the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Maritime Safety Agency and the Nigerian Ministry of Justice.

U.S. led presentations were offered on the Law of the Sea, maritime law enforcement and fisheries management and enforcement. The Nigerian participants led discussions on their respective agencies and their role in the detection, monitoring, boarding, search, seizure, evidence collection and prosecution of violators of their domestic maritime laws. At the end of the seminar, a table-top exercise was led by LCDR Dwyer and LCDR Casad to indentify the authorities, roles and responsibilities of the respective agencies and how the Nigerian interagency works to solve maritime law issues. The goal of the seminar was to help build the capacity of the host nation with respect to maritime law enforcement and the rule of law.